Expect the Unexpected !
Expect the Unexpected ! – Unique Times
This is a time when final year college students are preparing harder than ever before for their upcoming stint with corporates and their corporate career. All of them are facing interviews along with the exams and projects. During my close encounters with their placement drives, one thing I have noticed is that 80% of the current generation has a false expectation about what they deserve and what they can claim. On that thought, let’s have a look at how a job-aspirer ‘expect’ things to turn in his favour, how should he do that and why.
In today’s world, there is a widely seen complaining behaviour. I have even heard a lower-primary boy accusing his teacher of favouring his peer only because she was a girl child. How can such a derogatory and narrow idea like this infiltrate and contaminate minds of even small children? Parents and teachers, for that matter, play a huge role in moulding the future generations’ thought process. We can stand back and just accuse them of being careless and irresponsible. That was, infact, our responsibility.
When you ask a kid, when he is 5 or 6 years of age, what he wants to become, he will abruptly jump up and say he would like to become a driver, fireman, a security guy, traffic police etc.’ They will give you genuinely surprising answers too for their wishes. And try this a little later, the child would definitely have a different answer for you. And by the time he is ready to leave college, he would have definitely been conditioned according to the desires of his parents or society. Whatever you would like to become, it is all the more important for it to be ‘realistic’ and achievable. Here, ‘Goal setting’ is very important from your school age, to achieve your aims and reach your expectations. If not strategized and implemented properly, this will just end up in keeping the expectations high, but not rising up to that. Writing down your goals will help you make efforts to ‘stretch’ yourself.
Getting back to the scenario I was mentioning initially, there is a pitiable situation in the society today when candidates demand jobs, which is way beyond their actual ‘capacity’ and essence. Their lack of knowledge on the empowering tools makes it all the more saddening. According to India Skills Report launched in the 3rd CII National Conference on Skill Development 34% were found employable. Out of about 1, 00,000 candidates. Companies are finding it difficult than ever to find the right candidates for the vacancy open. Most of the candidates are in a fool’s heaven and insist on getting high salary in the very first go itself. Yes, I don’t deny that there is an opportunity. However, when the gap between skills and the requirements are so high, in the current scenario, possibilities are narrow. Every year thousands of degree holders are plunged into the market. It is indeed a heart-breaking scene to see the expectations shattered in no time and candidates ending up with compromising with some job just for survival. With increasing unemployment levels in India, Kerala records the highest unemployment rate of 20.97 per cent of the labour force followed by West Bengal (14.99 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (11.78 per cent),” the study revealed. Total number of unemployed people increases from 20.13 million in 1993 to 26.58 million, according to the recent survey, in the 15-59 age group. This varies considerably with socio-economic factors. We also have a very bright future awaiting us with the current technological and other developments happening in the state. However, are we adequately skilled to claim the opportunity? is the million dollar question. Statistics shows that one out of every 10 drops out in under 3 years of the entrepreneurship venture he/she starts after college, due to lack of adequately developed skills.
Here, we are ending up with a huge cry to completely overhaul the current education system which only focuses on certificates and technical training. We have candidates pushed into the market with high degrees, who are pathetically inadequate with interpersonal skills or required softskills. Many of the students get angry or depressed when they are not able to find their dream jobs. Many of us have seen it coming too. Did we take precautions? Did we prepare for the best or worst? Having minimal preparation and unrealistic expectations will only lead to heart-break and stress.
It is indeed possible to achieve your goals and to end up in that dream job you had always dreamt of. A commonly used SWOT analysis will help an individual to introspect and gauge as to what he can claim for in a job, relationship or in life. Let’s start from the basics, let’s atleast start. Usually, it is a 4 stage test – 2 internal and 2 external. It helps you keep a check on your Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. A personal SWOT analysis will help strategic planning, maximise response to opportunities, help amass your strong areas and develop your internal improvement spectrum.
We have brilliant generation with industrious minds who can achieve anything if they want to. There is nothing impossible if you have a definite goal and work towards it. Hardwork and persistence will take you a long way becoming a winner in life. When you start with your college life, you have a complete 5 years to mould yourself up to achieve the goals you have set for yourself. Know your route. Write down our plans. Along with your technical skills preparation, it is most significant and inevitable to prepare your soft skills to face the very competitive world. Communication and Interpersonal skills should be your first target. Your stint with society and college life will give you ample opportunity to realistically test your skills on Leadership, TeamBuilding, Time Management etc. Plan reverside. When you have a company and job in mind, try and get all data as much as possible as to what that job requires. What’s in you and not. Set a goal as to improve according to what the job demands. Not only to get that job, but also to survive and sustain in it. Your managerial and interpersonal skills plays a huge role to help you climb the ladder. Preparation and training makes your life easier ahead. Be wise. Start now!
Dolly Neena
